How to Pronounce the Small Tsu (っ)
Say 来て (kite, "come") when you mean 切手 (kitte, "stamp"), and a Japanese listener won't understand you. One tiny っ makes the difference. Here's how to pronounce it in 3 steps.
喵喵日本語
Small っ is not pronounced "tsu"
The small っ is called sokuon (促音). Many learners read it as "tsu" the first time they see it, for example reading 切手 (kitte, "stamp") as ki-tsu-te.
But っ is not pronounced "tsu." Its job is to take up one extra beat. Usually that beat is a short, silent pause. Before an s sound, you hold the s for one beat instead (more on that below).
In romaji, っ is written by doubling the next consonant: きって = kitte.
What's the difference between きて and きって?
Japanese measures length in beats, called mora. Each kana is about one beat (a small ゃ, ゅ or ょ joins the kana before it to make one beat), and っ and the long-vowel mark ー count as one beat each. One beat more or less makes a different word.
| Written | Beats | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 来て kite | 2 (ki · te) | come (te-form of 来る) |
| 切手 kitte | 3 (ki · っ · te) | stamp |
| 聞いて kiite | 3 (ki · i · te) | listen (te-form of 聞く) |
If you want to say "I bought stamps" but say 来てを買いました, a Japanese listener hears "I bought come." No wonder they look confused.
What's said in the video:
| In the video | In English |
|---|---|
| (narration in Chinese) | At a post office in Japan, one sound changes the whole meaning. |
| 来てを、ください。 kite o kudasai | ✗ Sounds like "Please give me come." |
| (narration in Chinese) | The clerk looks puzzled. |
| 来て kite / 切手 kitte | "come" / "stamp" |
| (narration in Chinese) | The first one means "come." Only the second one is "stamp." |
| (narration in Chinese) | Pause for one beat in the middle, with your mouth silent. |
| 切手を、ください。 kitte o kudasai | ✓ A stamp, please. |
Pronounce っ in 3 steps
Practice with きって (kitte).
- Get your mouth ready for the next sound. て is a t sound, so put the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth.
- Hold for one beat, silently. Try clapping as you say it: き (clap), pause (clap), て (clap).
- Release the next sound in one go. Let the held air out all at once. て will sound clearer and stronger than usual.
Before an s sound, hold the consonant instead of stopping
Before k, t and p sounds (the か, た and ぱ rows), your mouth stops completely.
But before an s sound (the さ row), you don't stop. Instead, you hold the s for one beat (before し, しゃ and しょ, you hold "sh").
- 喫茶店 kissaten (café): ki · ss · sa · te · n
- 雑誌 zasshi (magazine): za · shh · shi
- 一緒 issho (together): i · shh · sho
5 word pairs that are easy to mix up
Say each pair out loud. The word with っ gets one extra beat.
| Without っ | With っ |
|---|---|
| 来て kite (come) | 切手 kitte (stamp) |
| 音 oto (sound) | 夫 otto (husband) |
| 坂 saka (slope) | 作家 sakka (writer) |
| 過去 kako (the past) | 括弧 kakko (brackets) |
| いた ita (was there; past of いる) | 行った itta (went) |
Mix up 音 and 夫, and "I heard a sound" becomes "I heard my husband."
Quick quiz
Is "husband" おと or おっと?
Show answer
おっと (夫). おと (音) means "sound."
In 雑誌 (zasshi), do you stop your mouth at っ, or hold the s?
Show answer
Hold the s for one beat. Before the さ row, you don't stop completely.
How many beats are きて, きって and きいて?
Show answer
きて has 2 beats, きって has 3, and きいて has 3.
Practice with a native teacher
っ is easy to understand and hard to hear in your own voice. In a one-on-one lesson, Mori-sensei listens to you say it and tells you on the spot what sounds different, and why. → One-on-one lessons / Online lessons
Want a native Japanese teacher to hear you speak?
One-on-one, 50 minutes per lesson. Online, or in person in Taipei.
Tell me on LINE or by email (miaonihon0501@gmail.com) what you want to learn and where you're stuck.